Beyond Broken(27)

For some disturbing reason, his mind conjured up a picture of Maddie. He allowed himself to imagine being with her, truly being with her, if only briefly. What would it be like to go home to her, knowing that she was waiting for him? Would they sit comfortably on the couch, in silence, like Alex and Olivia? Would Maddie be reading a textbook while he watched a game? And when they went to bed at night, would she like being tied up, perfectly exposed to him so that he could play?

You're being a fool, he told himself, pushing away the thought. It was an unattainable fantasy, one he didn't even want. Or need.

Like he told Alex, if he was going to fuck her, that was all it'd ever be. No strings attached, just how he liked it.

Much later that night, he did end up returning to his uncle's house, despite Olivia insisting he could stay. He realized that he couldn't keep running away. He stuck to the living room and the kitchen, not venturing into any of the bedrooms, even his own. And as he tried to get some sleep on the couch, the television illuminating the dark room, he thought about his fantasy of Maddie and it helped him fall asleep in relative peace.





ELEVEN





The first thing that Maddie noticed was that the garage was noisier during the day. When she stepped out of her car and made her way into the familiar space of steel, oil, and cement, the mechanics all turned to stare.

"Hey, sweetie," Brian called, taking a break on a plastic chair and sipping on a Coke.

"Yeah, hello, sweetie," called another man, his tone making Maddie bristle. He was tall with a dark beard and piercing blue eyes. Handsome in a rough way, but something about him gave her the creeps. Majorly. It was most likely the leer.

Brian shot him a dark look. "She's Caleb's, Jones. I wouldn't fuck with her if I were you."

Maddie frowned. She certainly wasn't Caleb's anything, whatever that meant. But Jones seemed surprised and the other three men whistled and laughed, making Maddie shift in place. "What, does she have a magical pussy or something?" she heard Jones mumble to his friends. "I bet-"

"Say anythin' more, boy, and I'll break your fuckin' jaw," Brian said, pushing to his feet and taking a step closer to Jones, who raised his hands innocently in the air.

"Didn't mean anything by it. Right, sweetheart?" he asked, throwing a wink.

Her heart was beating hard in her chest and Maddie swallowed, beyond uncomfortable. She wished that Caleb hadn't asked her to come by earlier in the afternoon. She wasn't used to men looking at her like she was some kind of object. Kyra had always been the one who easily fended off men, laughing like it was nothing. Maddie, however, felt slightly sick. There was no mistaking the way Jones' eyes swept over her body, crawling over her like worms, making her want to scrub her skin until it was raw.

Maddie made her escape quickly, climbing the stairs. Peter came out of Caleb's office, pausing at the top of the stairs to hold the door open for her.

"Hi, Maddie," he said quietly, flushing.

She gave him a shaky smile. "Hi, Peter. Thank you."



       
         
       
        

Then she stepped inside and the door swung shut. Already, she felt better, wrapped in the familiar smell and quiet of Caleb's office, but her heart was still pounding. Caleb sat in his usual place at his desk, typing away furiously.

He glanced at her when she appeared, looked away for a brief second, before his head whipped back, his eyes narrowing.

"What is it?" he asked, pushing away from the desk, standing slowly.

His reaction made her both nervous and comforted. "Nothing," she murmured quietly, slipping off her purse and jacket before stepping over to her own laptop.

"Maddie," he said in a warning tone, a hint of a threat in his voice.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "They just … " she trailed off, not wanting to tell him what Jones had said. Or what Brian had said.

Caleb's gaze drifted to the window and his jaw hardened. "Did they say something to you?" Maddie shrugged, avoiding his eyes. She didn't want to make a big deal over what happened. She just wanted to forget the whole thing. "Tell me," Caleb snapped, his anger rising. Instinctively, Maddie knew it wasn't aimed at her.

"It was nothing, Caleb," she said, starting up the laptop.

She could still feel his gaze and he waited only a brief second before he rounded his desk, striding over to the door before yanking it open.

"Caleb!" Maddie called after him, scrambling up from her chair to stop him. But it was too late. He was already stomping down the metal stairs into the heart of the garage.